Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Solution Lies in Early Elections

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Solution Lies in Early Elections

Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, October 31, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The head of the Lebanese Forces (LF) party, Samir Geagea, said that the only exit for the current crisis in Lebanon was the holding of early parliamentary elections, “as the ruling majority has failed to find solutions.”

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Geagea said that the ruling majority does not know how to govern nor let others manage the country, and “people are stuck” in the problem.

Stressing that the LF was at the heart of anti-government protests, he noted that people returned to the streets “because they saw that the constitutional institutions, on which they relied to resolve the situation, have failed to do so and further deepened the crisis.”

Geagea said that the relationship with resigned-Prime Minister Saad Hariri was maintained at the “minimum level”.

“We and the Future Movement are strategically aligned, but our views differ on how to run the State,” he affirmed.

He went on to say that Hariri “has disappointed us with many things that happened previously and the time was not at all appropriate to support him to head the government.”

The head of the LF admitted that there was no strategy that brings together opposition parties, namely the Future Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), and the Kataeb.

“Other parties, who think like us, don’t want to get into big strategies now”, he remarked.

Geagea said he believed that the ruling majority has proven to be ineffective for three years now, and in the last three months, it has proven to be “powerless, deficient, and corrupt.”

“I cannot imagine that a country has witnessed a popular uprising for three months, in conjunction with a rapidly deteriorating economic and financial situation, and the ruling authority is doing nothing,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“In my opinion, this is the actual crisis. It’s that you have an existing ruling majority that does not know how to rule, nor let others rule, and people are stuck in the middle,” he commented.

Asked about the renewal of the street protests across Lebanon, the LF president said: “People took to the streets again with such intensity, pulse, and strength because there is no other way out.”

“There was an exit available for the ruling majority when Hassan Diab was designated. There was an opportunity to form a government with different specifications that apply to the current conditions, to restore confidence in the state of Lebanon, to find solutions to economic, financial, and living conditions, or to give a minimum level of confidence for the people to go to their homes,” he lamented.

“Unfortunately, the opportunity was lost… and the people returned to the streets,” he said.

Geagea said that recent street developments have “sounded the alarm over the need for the rest of the parties to wake up and realize the seriousness of what is happening.”

In this regard, he underlined that the only solution was the holding of early parliamentary elections, saying: “This issue is strongly present on the table of the LF bloc; how can we convince the other parliamentary blocs because we do not see any other solution.”

“Do they want the country to collapse before their eyes, while they remain attached to their seats, and no one moves?!” He asked.

Geagea also emphasized that the goals set by the protesters “meet the objectives previously announced by the LF,” with regards to the “resignation of the government, the formation of a transitional cabinet of independents, and other goals.”

“In the present situation, we can be heading towards early parliamentary elections,” he remarked.



Brazil’s Foreign Minister: Relations with Saudi Arabia Have Grown Stronger

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Brazil’s Foreign Minister: Relations with Saudi Arabia Have Grown Stronger

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi-Brazilian relations have strengthened, particularly in political and economic cooperation, since Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office as Brazil’s president in January 2023, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira affirmed.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Brazil’s top diplomat noted that the economies of Saudi Arabia and his country complement each other well, and that they are just starting to unlock their full potential.

According to Vieira, there are many opportunities for growth in areas like trade, investment, logistics, food security, and renewable energy.

Vieira also mentioned that during his visit to Saudi Arabia, alongside the Gulf-Brazil ministerial meeting, he held talks with Saudi officials, including Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih.

Investment is an area where the Kingdom and Brazil are just starting to explore significant untapped potential.

Vieira also emphasized the importance of Al-Falih’s visit to Brazil last year, where he led a large Saudi trade delegation.

The Brazilian minister described his recent meeting with Al-Falih in Riyadh as “very productive,” adding that both sides are optimistic about the future of ties between Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.

Discussing the Gulf-Brazil ministerial meetings in Riyadh, Vieira reaffirmed that his country was honored to join a high-level dialogue with Gulf countries this year, marking a historic step in its relationship with the GCC.

During the meetings, Vieira held talks with the foreign ministers of Bahrain and Kuwait, and also visited Oman to meet its foreign minister to discuss common interests.

On Brazil-GCC ties, Vieira noted that there is strong political will to build strategic cooperation, as shown by the outcomes of recent meetings.

Vieira emphasized the growing partnership between Brazil and the GCC, saying that Brazil’s special invitation this year reflects the commitment to deepen relations, with the private sector playing an increasing role in finding new opportunities.